Chapter Three: The Explanation and Purpose
Ukiah stared at the setting sun, feeling the cool ocean spray splash him on the face. Ignoring the chill, he kept his eyes forward. Since he left, he couldn't help but notice the peace he had. Shaking his head, he recalled the weeks, even months he spent training to become something that was supposed to be his destiny; ending up being a selfish lie to make him do the dirty work for Jessika.
Honestly, for the first time in his life, he had no idea what to do; or what to pursue. Before, it was to protect Hiccup and Astrid; along with all of Berk. Then it was to hunt down and kill Strogg. After which he tried to find his heritage to kill the part that was haunting him; all of which he succeeded in doing. At least, to some degree.
"Guess we better go see how the others are doing…" He whispered to Lasher, looking down at the Triple Stryke. Resting his hand along his neck, he asked "How are you doing, friend? Are you holding up okay?"
Lasher growled, looking back at him with resolution and determination. After what took an hour to wake him up, Lasher was more than ready to go. He almost had an expression of 'I told you so' when they were finally flying away. Making Ukiah learn to depend more on him and his judgement calls. Fortunately, whatever Jessika had used to knock him out with wasn't long lasting like the poison Ukiah drank, letting them literally leave minutes after getting packed up.
"Good to hear…how about you, Arrow?"
Arrow growled happily, digging his claws into the front of the saddle to keep himself secure. Letting his tongue hang out, he simply let it flap in the wind as they continued to fly along.
"Give it a couple of weeks, and you'll be flying yourself…" He whispered, looking ahead. Though he didn't realize it at the time, the fact that he had another Sand Wraith caused another problem to arise in his mind. Zekir. What was he going to do about him? He couldn't let Arrow's killer simply live with no repercussions for his actions.
Shuddering, he pulled his black cloak around him tighter to fight the chill of the ocean spray. What should he do? Return to Berk? Help Hiccup and the others? Or should he start his personal war with Zekir? Then the words echoed in his mind; the words Astrid told him right when he lost his arm and Arrow:
"Ukiah…know that we care about you. And are willing to help you in whatever way we can. Even if it means me going with you to hunt down Zekir…"
The words seemed to chip away at the shroud over his mind. He knew Astrid would be willing to help him, so it wasn't that far of a shot to see if Hiccup and Matt wouldn't either. Even Heather! That was it. He was going back to Berk.
The decision seemed to make him breathe in relief. "I hope you guys are okay…" He whispered to himself. For all he knew, they could have been forced off Dragon's Edge; due to Viggo's efforts in their war. Not to mention Ryker's ruthlessness in regards to him dealing with the Riders.
He visibly shuddered as he thought of the possibility that Viggo won the fight they were having; and if anyone was unlucky enough to have been captured during his conquest. Or if Ryker got his hands on anyone. He recalled when Heather was taken by Darien, and the fact that the only reason why she survived was because of Viggo's ego and plans to use her against her friends. Ironically, she was lucky to part of such a scheme, being the only reason why they kept her alive.
Lasher suddenly growled, banking to the right and looking over at something.
Slightly caught off guard, Ukiah lowered himself on his saddle. "What's going on? See something?"
Lasher pulled up, stopping to a hover. Almost losing Arrow as a passenger, the Triple Stryke motioned towards something ahead of them.
Peering ahead, Ukiah gasped as he saw what Lasher saw. A single ship! More importantly, it was marked with the Thariin symbol on its single sail. It was almost an answer to an unasked prayer. At least he'll be able to learn what Zekir is up to after he was through with the ship's crew.
Preparing his crossbow, he then growled "What say you, friend? Are you ready to take a break from flying? Give your tails a little bit of a workout?"
Lasher huffed a breath of hot air, letting flames shoot out to show that he was ready. His tails unraveled from the braid he usually kept them in when traveling.
Ukiah nodded as he rested his crossbow on his lap, much to Arrow's angst. "Then let's go. Perhaps we can stay the night on the ship to rest. At least, until after we learn what we can and send everyone to Helheim."
"Just doing the regular rounds, princess. Comfortable?" One of the guards mocked, unlocking the cell's door. "Ready for bed time?"
Lydia glared at him as he walked in. Shifting her arms in agitation, she could only watch as the guard checked the iron cuffs behind her back, locking her wrists together. The only time she was out of them was when they occasionally let her out to stretch her legs, or when she was supposed to eat, being only two times a day.
"Oh, don't be like that…we'll be arriving on an island within the morning! You'll be able to stretch your legs out if you so please!"
"Without the cuffs on my wrists? Or chains in general?" She growled, already knowing the answer.
Laughing, the guard kneeled down and grabbed the chain that connected her shackles on her ankles; keeping her anchored to the wall of the ship, and subsequently the bench that was her bed as well. Pulling on it, he forced her legs to be sucked in together, as if they were bound. "I'm afraid not, your highness. We're under orders to make sure you can't escape. Can't take that many risks with you."
"So you'll let me walk around? That makes sense." She fired back, hating being treated like royalty when it was abundantly clear she wasn't going to be receiving any such treatment. Kicking her feet, she tried to separate them, only to fruitlessly kick in the air. Watching him wrap the slack in the chain around her legs, she growled "You know this is completely overkill. Even if my legs were freed, I couldn't get out of this cell."
"My point exactly. Where would you go when we let you walk around the island? You can't break those irons off your wrists." He teased, stepping back from her. Patting the keys on his belt, he continued to jest with her. "We'd let you try to swim if you wanted too! Armor and all!"
The angry blonde princess growled as she looked down at her steel engraved armor. What was her greatest gift was now the only thing she had to remind her of her home. "Might try anyways…even drowning would be better than staying in your company, you fine gentlemen." She snapped sarcastically.
"Oi! Balbus!" The second guard shouted, running down the stairs towards the cell. "Might wanna come up on the deck. We're seeing something…"
"Seeing what?" Balbus replied, walking out of Lydia's cell and locking the door shut.
"A dragon. It's been circling around us for a bit now."
"And? What about it? We've seen hundreds of dragons since we left Thariin."
"It has a Rider on it…"
"Wait, a dragon with a Rider?" Lydia called out, suddenly sounding panicked.
"Not to worry, princess. It's only one." Balbus growled, his joking and teasing demeanor changing. "One Rider isn't enough to sink a ship or kill a crew."
"Hey! Let me out of these irons! Just in case!" She called out, fruitlessly fighting the shackles binding her wrists behind her.
"Shut up, and try to get some sleep…" Balbus growled running up the stairs with the other guard. "This Rider is good as dead!"
Lydia looked around her cell frantically. Sleep was the last thing on her mind. If this was one of the dragon riders that Zekir was so worried about, then what chance did a single ship have against one of them?
"Urgh! Come on!" She grunted in a panicked frustration. Kicking her legs, she tried to shake off the chain that was tightly wound around her legs.
"He's coming in! Get ready!" A voice shouted above her.
Looking at the ceiling, she could only imagine what was going on.
"Fir-AGH!"
Lydia screamed as an explosion sounded just above her. Feeling the ship rock due to the force of the hit, she quickly glanced around her cell and room, checking to see if water was spilling in.
"Draw a bead on it! Kill it!" Balbus' voice cried out.
"Wait…where's its Rider?" A crewman's voice shouted.
Fighting the chains, she listened to the fight above. She couldn't help but wish she had her battle axe. Anything really. Above all, she wished her hands and ankles were at least freed.
"Look out-Agh!" A voice screamed, being cut off short by something.
Lydia could only stare at the stairs in fear, wondering what was going on above.
"Captain!" A panicked voice cried.
"The dragon's coming around again!"
"Damn the dragon! Watch out for the-gak!"
Lydia gasped, seeing a sailor tumble down the stairs. As he rolled to a stop, she saw a bolt sticking out of his throat. Looking up the stairway as best as she could, she could hear metal on metal as a fight grew louder and louder. A deathly roar sounded, followed by some whipping sounds. She instantly began to sweat, realizing that the crew that was supposed to protect her, was losing the fight!
Again, something sounded like it was tumbling down the stairs. This time it was Balbus! Rolling to a stop, he slowly got onto his hands and knees. His leg was bleeding profusely, as if it was sliced open. "Urgh…can't let them free you…" He growled, pulling himself up with the wall. Limping towards a large cupboard, he pulled out a burlap bag and a cloth.
"No! Don't you dare!" She shouted, seeing him limp towards her door.
"What does it matter? You'll die anyways!" He growled, walking up to her. Not even trying to mess with her, he simply batted her head against the wall behind her.
"Agh!" She cried out, stunned by the hit. Before she could do anything else, she felt the cloth get stuffed in her mouth. As she tried to spit it out, her world went dark as the burlap bag was draped over her head, keeping the cloth in her mouth.
"Rmphh!" She tried to shout, shaking her head violently to throw off the bag.
Again! He pushed her head into the wall, stunning her a second time. Groaning, she simply waited there, trying to recover from the hit. At that, she felt a metal shackle get slipped around her neck, clicking as it was locked shut. With the collar keeping the hood over her head, and the fact that it was so short that it pulled her against the wall, all she could do was shift her arms and kick her legs. "Lmm mhh ghh!" She tried to shout. She was terrified that whatever attacked their ship would show no mercy to her, regardless of her position.
"Well, well, well…" Balbus growled, making her freeze in place.
She could hear something walking down the stairs, followed by another set of footsteps; though sounding a lot heavier.
"I can see why Zekir fears you Riders…only one of you took out an entire ship and its crew!"
"…I'm a little unique from the others…" A voice replied back. It sounded cold and unfriendly.
Lydia simply sat there, unable to do anything. Scared that her trying to fight her bonds would anger their attacker, she listened to the conversation between the two.
"Who's that you have?" The voice asked, sounding curious.
"No one. She's none of your concern!" Balbus replied angrily.
"She?" The stranger repeated, sounding a little shocked. "And it is my concern. Zekir made it my concern the moment he took my arm from me."
"Wait? Arm?" Lydia asked herself in her mind. "Was he really missing an arm? And he took out the entire crew?!"
"Chief Zekir will do more than take an arm if you don't take your dragon and leave right now!" Balbus roared angrily.
"He already took more than my arm when I met him…" The stranger whispered, sounding remorseful. "Where is he? And maybe I'll let you live."
"Again, that's none of your concern!"
Lydia saw a chance to show she was more helpful alive than dead, to which she shouted into her gag "Hhpph wwhhmm hm Brrggpphh!"
"Shut up!" Balbus roared, pushing her head against the wall a third time.
"Rrrggmmphh!" She growled angrily, getting tired of being treated like that.
"Drop the mace and let her go." The stranger commanded, his tone sounding more serious.
"No. Leave this ship, and I won't cave her head in…"
Lydia sat there, feeling something heavy rest on her head. The mace Balbus was apparently holding. Closing her eyes in angst, she could only listen to the silence, expecting to a sharp blow to the head and feel her life slip away. However, she heard something that made her jump.
Kcthunk!
"Agh!" Balbus gasped.
Lydia felt the weight on her head slowly slide off, and eventually heard it crash on the deck. Confused at what was going on, she then heard Balbus collapse on the floor, not moving. She could only picture in her head what had happened, wishing she wasn't blindfolded.
"Lasher, get back on deck and stay on guard." The stranger ordered.
A loud growl sounded off in acknowledgement, making her sweat in a panic. That had to be the dragon!
"Easy…I'm not going to hurt you…" The stranger said with a calming voice, sounding closer to her with every word.
"Mmmhh…" She grunted, trying to shake the bag off her head.
Sensing someone nearby, she then felt something get inserted into the collar around her neck. Hearing a satisfying click, the collar simply fell off. Just as instantly as it came off, she felt the hood get pulled off. Blinking her eyes to adjust to the light, she looked up at the stranger.
The tanned individual had long black hair, draping over his shoulders. He wore the simplest looking chainmail armor, being stained black and lined with some kind of fur underneath. His face looked rugged and hardened with weather and experiences. On top of that, he was stood over a fallen Balbus, with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his heart. But what shocked her the most was that he couldn't be older than her brother, Auger.
"Here, let me pull this out…" He grunted, taking the cloth out of her mouth.
"Bleh! Btah!" She spat, relieved to have it out. "Thank you…"
The stranger only nodded, kneeling down and focusing on unraveling the chain around her legs. "Who are you? And why are you chained up like this?"
Relaxing at the fact that he was helping her, she simply replied "I'm Lydia. Princess Lydia I guess. I was being held hostage, as you can see."
"Why?" He quizzed, finally being able to get to the shackles on her legs. Using the key he swiped from Balbus, he quickly undid them.
"Because their chief wanted to force my father to go to fight for him." She growled, standing up. Relishing in being able to stretch, she smiled at her rescuer. "Thank you! Can't tell you how long I was stuck on that stupid bench."
Nodding, the stranger gestured her to turn around. Seeing her do so, he then unlocked the bindings on her wrists. "What chief forced your dad to fight for him?"
"Zekir the Black Heart…" She growled, whirling around and re-strapping her gauntlets, as she never had the opportunity to do so since being stuck on the ship. "He had me captured me and then forced my dad to fight!"
"Zekir!" The stranger gasped. "What's he doing? Where's he attacking?!"
Shocked at the sudden urgency, she quickly replied "A place called Berk. He's after someone named Hiccup and Matt Haddock! They're supposedly Dragon Riders, and they threaten his trade route with some Dragon Hunters."
"No!" He shouted, looking frantic at the news. "I should have guessed he would have gone after them…do you know why?"
"Why? Do you know them?" She asked, uneasy with the sudden intensity. "Are you a Dragon Rider too? Are you part of their group?"
"They're my adoptive brothers. They're family to me!" He argued, reaching up and grabbing her arm. "Tell me why he's attacking Berk! And when!"
Then she saw it! Or at least noticed it. He really did have one arm! "Yo-your arm! W-w-what happened?!" She gasped, staring at his stub in shock.
His face darkening, he growled "Zekir did this to me…and I'm not going to let him hurt anyone else. Especially those I call family. Now tell me what you know!"
"Only if you don't hurt me!" She cried, terrified at his changing demeanor.
Realizing that he was scaring her, he took a step back and took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you. I may be a killer, but I'm not heartless. I won't do anything to harm you. But I need to know what you know about Zekir. I can't let him…I can't let him take another close friend from me."
"Another?"
The stranger sighed, looking down from her gaze. "Yes, another. Can you please tell me what you know?"
Concerned with how he was affected by Zekir, she simply nodded in understanding. "Of course. You did free me after all. This is what I know. He and this girl named Darien want to secure a trade route with some Dragon Hunters. They said that Dragon Riders are a threat to it and will attack Thariin if needed." Then, a little hesitantly, added "Both him and Darien mentioned two Riders specifically…Hiccup and Matt Haddock. Are they really your family?"
"Not by blood, but we're as close as you can get."
Understanding the connection, Lydia then let a wide smile grow on her face. Doing a modest bow, she then said. "That's all I really know. And as I said before, I'm Princess Lydia. Now, to whom do I address to show appreciation and my gratitude for helping me?"
The stranger then knelt down and picked up a crossbow. Shouldering it, he then gruffly said. "Ukiah. Ukiah…Legna."
Lydia noticed the hesitancy of him telling his last name. Curious, she then asked "Ukiah Legna? Interesting. How are you related to Hiccup and Matt Haddock? How about the other Dragon Riders?"
Sighing, Ukiah simply gestured for her to follow. "Hiccup saved me about six years back. I then lived with him and Berk since…given a couple years being on my own. Learned to ride dragons with them."
Before she could follow up with another question, she barely noticed a small blur dart through the cell door and leap onto Ukiah. Gaping, she stared as a small brown dragon began to climb up Ukiah's chainmail, stopping on his shoulder. "Is…that a dragon?"
"Yeah. His name is Arrow…just found him a couple days ago." Ukiah replied, seeming unconcerned with it.
"This…this can't be the one that you rode…is it?!" She asked, seeing the dragon eye her curiously.
"No. The one I rode is on top." He replied, turning to walk out of the cell. "His name is Lasher."
"Oh…I see…" She whispered, unsure of what to expect. She heard the dragon, but never saw it. She could only imagine what it looked like. It couldn't be a cuddly looking one, not if it earned the name Lasher.
"Do you have anything you need to pack? I'm going to see what kind of supplies I can take, then we'll have to make up some time to get to Berk." Ukiah began to say, stopping at some storage barrels and pulling off the lid of one.
"Wait….you're taking me with you?"
"Unless you want to stay on the ship and sail it back to wherever you came from." He huffed, digging through the barrels with his one arm. "Your choice."
"I…uh…" She stammered, unsure of what to think. She was hoping that he'd help her return home, though it was quite apparent that was nothing of his intentions.
"Think quickly, I'm leaving." He growled, awkwardly fumbling with random fruit into a travel bag; being hard with one arm. Shoveling apples, berries, basically anything that didn't require time to prepare or cook, he simply loaded anything he could.
Realizing she didn't have a choice, she let out a long sigh. "Guess I'm going with you. I never learned how to sail; and even then, I don't think I could manage a ship this size on my own."
"Then pack up your stuff. We're leaving." He replied sharply, walking up the stairs.
"I don't have anything other than what I'm wearing. I was a prisoner, remember?" She huffed sarcastically, walking alongside him.
"Fair enough. Lasher! Get ready! We're leaving.
Lydia gaped as she finally saw Lasher. The dragon was standing on its hind legs, with three tails arched over its back! It had pincers for its front legs, or rather arms! It was indeed a unique dragon!
Growling, Lasher walked up to Lydia, sniffing her and making sure she wasn't a threat.
"Uh…nice…Lasher." She whispered weakly, realizing that she could be moments away from being killed.
"He won't hurt you. He's just making sure you're not going to turn on me." Ukiah answered, clipping his crossbow to his saddle. Making sure it was secure, he then handed her the bag with the supplies in it. "Since you're taking the spot where I'd strap this down, you have to hold onto it."
Seeing Lasher back off from her, she slowly took the bag. Slinging it around, she then let a nervous smile grow on her face. "If that's the price for getting out of here, you got a deal."
Nodding, he then leaped onto the saddle, letting Arrow sit in front of him. Extending his single arm to her, he then pulled her up and sat her behind him.
"Uh…thank you…" She replied, still nervous about the whole thing. "So…how hard is it to ride on dragons?"
For the first time since they met, Ukiah let a smile grow on his face. Turning to her, he then said "Don't worry, after the first hour of flying, the feeling gets to be natural."
"Does it-whoa!"
Lasher then launched off the deck of the ship, flying towards the moon. Caught off guard with the launch, Lydia scrambled to grab anything to secure herself. By chance, she had wrapped her arms around Ukiah and began to squeeze him with a panicked strength.
"Ugh, mind loosening up?" He huffed, shifting to get comfortable in the saddle.
"Uh…sure…sorry…" She quickly replied, blushing as she realized what she did. Letting go of him, she quickly looked around. Gliding silently over the ocean, the feeling was incredible. She never imagined herself flying, as that was literally the only thing a dream could offer. "It's…incredible! This is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced! I rarely even dreamed of this being a possibility."
"It's an amazing feeling that I grew to love." Ukiah admitted, not taking his eyes off what lay ahead. "So, Lydia…you don't mind if I don't call you princess, do you?"
"No. In fact, I prefer you didn't." She quickly replied, gazing up at the unlimited stars shining down on them.
Nodding, he then asked "How long ago did Zekir leave to invade Berk? I need to know what kind of time table I'm on."
Shaking her head, she simply looked at him. "The ship I was on left before he did. I was about…maybe a week on board. I don't know. I never saw the day or night in my cell. My guards would blindfold me randomly, throwing off any sense of time I had. Occasionally I would see glimpses of daylight through the floorboards over me, but that was about it."
Nodding, he then said "That gives Berk at least two weeks to prepare. Maybe three. It's a good two or three day ride on a dragon, but we'll make quick pace if we eat on the go and don't stop unless we need too."
"Well, do what you need to. I'm literally here for the ride." She replied with a smile. "And…thank you. Again."
Shrugging, Ukiah simply looked ahead, saying "It's you who I should thank. We're going to be able to warn the island that took me in, and help those that helped me."
Nodding in understanding, Lydia then suggested "How about…we get to know each other little bit. Maybe you can tell me how you learned how to ride dragons."
"Maybe…some of it…is still a little hard for me to talk about…" He whispered, slightly looking down. "But…ask away. I'll try if I'm able to…"
Matt, Heather, Hiccup and Astrid stared at Ukiah with gaping mouths and wondrous expressions. Even Lydia was staring at him, unaware of what he went through before he found her.
"And that's what happened…" He whispered, watching the fire slowly eat away at the logs. It was well into the night since Ukiah began to recount his tale, and sleep was the last thing on their minds. Well, except for the twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs, who were all out cold. "After learning Jessika lied to me, I don't even know what's true about myself any more. I can't ignore what I saw in my dream…but…I know it's not me invading Berk…I hope it isn't at least."
"Maybe it's you defending Berk." Heather suggested.
"No. I was clearly invading. And I was on stone walls. Not wooden barricades that we're setting up."
"Either way, I'm sorry you went through that alone." Hiccup whispered, shaking his head at his experience.
"It is what it is. There is nothing I can do but move forward." He whispered, looking down at where Arrow had fallen asleep on his lap. "I really don't know if my destiny is to bring back the Crevites. But I do know that if I do, it's not going to be with Jessika, or her way of doing it."
"But what about what you saw in your…trial?" Matt asked. "It sounds like you deliberately chose to follow your own…uh, heart."
"I think I was just hallucinating. I've never actually seen an embodiment of a person…or dragon." He answered. "The couple 'visions' I've had were when I was asleep, or otherwise meditating. Not while fighting or trekking through a slot canyon. It had to have been the poison I drank. Arrow was still on my mind, and that's why I think I saw him. Given, I won't deny the fact that it was probably him that helped me find this little guy…"
Arrow then yawned, stretching as he tried to bury himself deeper in Ukiah's lap.
Letting a faint smile grow on his face, Ukiah silently stroked the little Sand Wraith's head. "The words I was hearing, the feelings I was getting from them…they were all I feared. I feared of being lonely…a killer…friendless…and a failure. A failure to protect those I care about."
"You're not though!" Astrid barked, making everyone turn to her in shock. "I'm getting sick of this, Ukiah. You need to stop whining and complaining about yourself. You've gone through a lot, that isn't being argued. But as far as we're concerned, you're doing far more than what you're giving yourself credit for! Heather is alive because of you! Matt is still breathing because you saved him from the ocean! I'm not a trophy to Strogg because of you too!" Gesturing to Hiccup, she growled "You saved Hiccup when Strogg first came here!"
Ukiah stared at her, listening intently to her.
"Wake up! See what we see! You're not a failure, you're not alone, you have friends, and you are not a murderer!"
"Having only met you for a couple of days…" Lydia spoke up, shifting away from where Snotlout had planted himself, though had fallen asleep. "I never felt endangered being around you. Nor have I ever thought that you were a killer. At least, one without feeling."
Ukiah simply sat there, thinking of what they were saying.
"And from what you saw in your dream, or vision...let's think about it when we get to that bridge." Hiccup added. "You're here now. With us. Not thinking about reviving your tribe, or what Jessika had intended for you to do."
"We're going to receive Zekir and his men, and send them back running. At least those we don't end…" Matt growled, feeling an old anger return. "Especially that witch Darien…"
Lydia then spoke up again, this time about something that was bugging her since she was freed by Ukiah. "But what about my father and his men? They wouldn't be part of Zekir's invasion if they knew I was safe."
"We'll think of something." Hiccup assured, flashing a comforting smile to her. "My dad knows that Bruvos isn't really the threat."
Lydia nodded, still not comforted that they didn't really have a way to warn him or Auger.
"Either way, I'm just glad you're back, Ukiah…" Heather replied with a smile. "We were worried about you when you never returned."
"I'm sorry…I should have just left and came back here. Especially since you were all fighting Viggo and the Dragon Hunters…I left you with that mess."
"It worked out. You were also mourning Arrow. It was something that you needed to figure out on your own." Matt commented. "When I learned you left to Crev, I was wanting to leave to find you, but I also knew that it was something that you wanted to do alone…looking back on it now, I wish I went ahead with my gut and tried to find you."
"It was probably best you didn't. I don't know what Jessika would have done to you if you came." He whispered. "She wanted me to kill you, Hiccup, and Stoick. Or she would have done it herself the moment I refused too."
"Regardless, everything worked out. We're all ready for Zekir, Viggo and the Hunters are no more, and we're all back together." Hiccup called out, shifting closer to Astrid.
"What happened between you and Viggo?" Ukiah asked, leaning back against Lasher, who was fast asleep.
"How about we tell you tomorrow." Hiccup yawned, stretching as he leaned against Toothless. "It's just as long of a story, and we're all tired."
Ukiah nodded in agreement, looking up at the stars above. "Deal…it'll be good to get some rest at least."
"Lydia, why don't you sleep with Stormfly?" Astrid suggested, smiling at their new friend.
"Uh…a-are you sure?" She stammered, looking over at the slumbering Nadder.
"Definitely. She'll love it!" Astrid laughed, getting closer to Hiccup. "Just walk up to her slowly and stroke her tail. She'll take care of the rest."
Reluctantly, Lydia did as she was told. Taking the smallest steps in the world, she slowly reached out her hand, and stroked the sleeping dragon's tail.
Waking up to the gentle petting, Stormfly turned to see Lydia staring at her with fear on her paling face. Squawking happily, she opened up her wing, put it over her, and pulled her close; pinning her in-between her body and wing.
"Agh!" She cried out, shocked at the sudden embrace.
"Good girl! Keep her warm!" Astrid laughed, seeing Stormfly snuggle with her new friend.
"Uh…thanks…girl." Lydia's muffled voice sounded from under Stormfly's wing.
Smiling, Matt and Heather leaned against Wasatch, with Windshear shuffling next to them to lie at their feet.
At that, almost like someone flipped a switch, everyone fell into a deep sleep; with the exception of Ukiah.
Sitting there, stroking Arrow's spikes, he simply pondered what the future could bring. Not only to himself, or what he saw in his vision; but what the future would bring for everyone else.
Hey! So there's chapter three! However, I need to apologize. I know that the story seems rushed; even a little less original in regards to plot. Especially chapter two. I'm not going to lie, but I'm still super burned out on writing. It's not an excuse, or at least, I'm not trying to make it an excuse. But because of this, I'm going to take a little bit longer break from writing. At least until I get my thinking head and creativity back. I don't know how long I'll be, but I'm hoping it'll be a short set back. Again, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to botch up this one. I want to make sure my writing is as sharp as it was when I first started this series.
Thanks for understanding! I hope you enjoyed what I did put down.
P.S. To the guest that wrote a review I should change Matt's name to something more Norse/viking like, please read the beginning of the series. There's a reason why he's named Matt Haddock. If you want to make an account and PM me, I'll be more than happy to direct any concerns you may have.